One Olmsted: Celebrating 2024 successes of diversity, equity, and inclusion
One Olmsted – Olmsted County’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiative – is about envisioning and developing a workplace and community where everyone is treated equitably. Olmsted County staff continue to make progress toward this vision and some highlights of their work in 2024 are noted below.
Implementation of M.O.V.E. community council
In May 2024, Olmsted County announced the launch of a new community council – Mobilizing Olmsted Voices for Equity or M.O.V.E. At that time, Olmsted County began the recruitment process; now, the county is pleased to announce that 26 members have joined M.O.V.E. The first meetings of the community council began in October 2024.
The council – made up of community members and Olmsted County staff – will help ensure county services are examined through a diverse lens. Its first area of focus will be on public health services. Members will work to identify pressing concerns among community members through robust engagement, which may involve surveys, listening sessions, or other interactive forums.
M.O.V.E. members will work together to share their experiences and advise the county about public health related issues. Their insights and recommendations will be shared regularly with Olmsted County leadership and commissioners.
Alliance groups for employees
Olmsted County offers a variety of opportunities for its employees to experience a welcoming and inclusive environment and learn DEI skills to help them become more effective in their roles. One of those opportunities is participation in various employee-led alliance groups. These groups – which continue to grow – are intended to be resources available to county staff who personally identify with the group(s) they choose to attend. Alliance groups include:
- Allies (employees who would like to be good allies to historically marginalized groups of people)
- BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color)
- Diverse abilities
- LGBTQIA+
- Mental health
- Neurodivergent
- Veterans
A new alliance group for Spanish speaking employees is expected to begin in 2025.
Educational opportunities for employees
The One Olmsted team continues to offer various DEI trainings to employees. In 2024, offerings included trainings on psychological safety; Circles for Healing and Discussion (safe, confidential, and respectful opportunities for Olmsted County employees to come together to listen, share, and obtain a deeper understanding from one another about challenging topics and events); and Bold and Inclusive Conversations cohorts (obtaining skills and competencies to engage in dialogue on historically polarizing topics).
The county also required its supervisory staff to complete one or more DEI-related trainings in 2024.
Community engagement events
County staff represented One Olmsted at various community events in 2024. This work helps spread the message of the county’s DEI efforts and encourages residents to engage with the county. These events included: PRIDE, Thursdays Downtown, Juneteenth, Walk Around the World, NAMI walk, and many more.
More information
For more information, visit the One Olmsted page on our county website.